


Welcome to the Hellmouth

by Meddalarksen, victoriousscarf



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2013-06-10
Packaged: 2017-12-05 19:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meddalarksen/pseuds/Meddalarksen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/victoriousscarf/pseuds/victoriousscarf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I know exactly what you're looking for,” he said, tone quicker than it had been and looking possibly more excited than he had since stepping off the plane into Californian weather.</p><p>She arched an eyebrow, and glanced at him as he disappeared back into the office again, "Right.  Okay."  Finding the list she put it on the counter, jumping as he dropped a tome next to it.  The book was old, the leather tooled and cracking.  Written on the cover in gold leaf was the word "Vampyre."  Griddlebone paled, "That's not my book."</p><p>Coricopat blinked at her, "You're, you're certain?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If You're Not Ready He'll Eat You Alive

**Author's Note:**

> So, if anyone has been paying attention, we had a story much like this going for a while (Welcome to the Hellmouth and What's My Road to Innocence") and due to some issues we've decided flat out to re-write the whole thing. If you were a fan of the original, I have everything that was posted as a PDF file.
> 
> The theme song to this entire story is "Happiness" by Hurts.

Griddlebone got into the car, setting her bookbag down on the floor by her feet, "New town, new house, new school, new classes."  She glanced at her mother, "So on to new adventures, right?"

Looking frayed around the edges, Jennyanydots smiled and nodded. "That's the right attitude to have."

"And hey, you've got a promising site for the new gallery, right?"  her daughter smiled, hoping she didn't look as tired as she felt.  She'd barely gotten any sleep the night before with all the nightmares she kept having about a monstrous face and an old church.

"Yes," Jenny said, more brightly than she felt. "We have a site that I'm going to check out once I drop you off. You will have a good first day at school, wouldn't you?"

"I promise, Mom.  I'll have a good day, and I'll be on my best behavior," Griddlebone nodded firmly.

"And you won't get kicked out of school?" Jenny pressed and then winced to herself.

Her daughter glanced at her, "I promise I will not burn any school buildings to the ground and I won't pick fights either."

"Good," Jenny said, tone a little tense before she smiled. "It's a new start, right?"

"Right.  New start means no fighting and getting my homework done and going to class and all those good things."

"They are good things," Jenny tried to insist before laughing at herself. "I'm sorry, I'm making a fuss and that's the last thing you want on such a big day." Taking a breath, she pulled off the main road and pulled up to the drop off zone of school.

Griddlebone paused, looking at the school for a long moment before leaning over and kissing Jenny's cheek, "I'll be careful.  Have a good day, Mom."

"You try to," Jenny said, managing to pull up a smile before leaning back and pulling the car out to head for the gallery site.

Watching her mom leave, Griddlebone sighed and shouldered her bag, "Great, here goes nothing."  She turned, adjusted her blue sweater and headed toward the school building.

As she passed toward the school, a lanky blond boy on a skateboard, wearing a particularly loud looking shirt, went by. Up to that point he had been calling at people to get out of the way, but suddenly the flash of pale blonde hair and short skirt drew his entire attention.

Jaw dropping his waist suddenly collided with the stair railing. He bent in half over the metal as the skateboard continued on without him. Flopping over onto his back on the ground, he considered the sky for a moment, until a face appeared in his vision.

"Misto!" he chirped happily as Mistoffelees tilted his head at him.

"What did you do to yourself?" the shorter boy asked, Tugger bouncing up as if he hadn't just done bodily damage to himself.

"New girl!" he declared happily, running around a student to fetch his skateboard and returning to where Mistoffelees was standing with arched brows, several thick books in his arms.

"New girl?" Mistoffelees asked when he returned. "I heard someone was transferring."

"Yup," Tugger chirped, trying to smooth his hair back and quickly giving it up as a lost cause. "Totally a hottie too. Should make things interesting at the very least. Rumor mill going."

"Because that's always what we need," Mistoffelees remarked, as the pair of them turned toward the school and started walking toward the front doors.

"Well, fresh blood?" Tugger offered and glanced down, as if finally noticing the pile of books. "Misto!" he said. "Please tell me you didn't read all of those this weekend!"

Mouth twisting, Mistoffelees glanced down and Tugger bumped their shoulders together. "I did," he said. "It was a long, boring weekend. And since uncle was home, it wasn't really like you could come and distract me."

"I still maintain he wouldn't even notice me in that house," Tugger said and shook his head. "But I know what you mean, you would not imagine the number of games I played."

Laughing, Mistoffelees shook his head. "Oh, no, I can actually guess. But he was doing that rare thing he does, where he wants to take an interest but it only lasts about an hour."

"Bad luck," Tugger shook his head and looked back and forth down the hallway, students milling past them and chattering about their weekends and the new girl. "And if you're going to drop all those books off, than this is where we part ways."

"You know, you should actually go to the library sometimes," Mistoffelees said and Tugger pulled a long face, shaking his head quickly. "I'll see you around."

"You can pretty much count on it," Tugger said, taking off down the hall, striding quickly on his long legs and Mistoffelees shook his head slightly before making his way to the library, expecting to find it empty.

As the doors swung shut, a tall slender brunet man dressed in a gray tweed stepped out of the book cage, "Oh, hello."

Mistoffelees startled, almost dropping the books he was holding and swallowing hard. "Oh, u-um, hello."

"Oh, terribly sorry, didn't mean to startle you."  He crossed to the main desk setting the book he was carrying on the shelf underneath it, "Here to return those, then?"

"I--um, yes," Mistoffelees said, shifting backward and looking like he was still trying to get his heartbeat back to normal. "So you're--you're British then? Are you the new librarian?"

"Yes, yes to, well to both of those actually.  Mr. Coricopat," he offered a slight smile, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh," Mistoffelees said, setting the books down.

Coricopat's brows rose slightly as he looked at the books, checking them back in and blinking at the dates, though he found the student's name in the process, "You read these all this weekend, Mr. Rosenberg?"

Startling again Mistoffelees eyes went wide. "How did you--?" he started in a half panic before looking over at the computer. "Oh, right," he managed, one hand curling against his chest. "There's the thing there. With names. Yes I read those all this weekend."

Adjusting his glasses again, Coricopat offered a sheepish smile, "Beg pardon.  So do you come in here often then?"

"Yeah," he said. "I mean, if there's a record there it should be, um, pretty substantial. And please don't call me Mr. Rosenberg."

Coricopat set the books aside, focusing on them rather than the dark-haired youth who was incredibly handsome but far underage, probably a few grades ahead of his age group, "So, Mistoffelees then?"

"Yeah," he said, shifting and looking down, wavy hair shadowing his face. "I'm only fifteen not thirty. Far too young for that sort of an honorific."

The librarian managed not to breathe a sigh of relief, reminding himself that fifteen was still underage.  Even if it was less underage than he'd thought, "Mistoffelees it is."  He considered the books again, "This is quite the weekend reading regimen."

"It was a long weekend," Mistoffelees said faintly.

"They're good choices.  Did you enjoy them?"

"For the most part," Mistoffelees said, shoulders still tense. "As I said, it was a long weekend and they were a nice break from the overwhelming boredom."

"It isn't often I hear someone, well, someone of your age say that.  Is… that is, is there anyone else who comes to the library often?" Coricopat asked, lifting the books and taking them over to the book cart.

"No, pretty much just me," Mistoffelees said, turning around and jumping to sit on the counter out of habit before wincing at how mature that probably made him look. "There used to be... but that was last year so now it's just me."

Coricopat glanced at him, smiling faintly at his perch, "Is there anything in particular you like to read?"

"Books," Mistoffelees said. "I mean, beyond that, no? If there are words I'm usually pretty happy, though I suppose I like French literature and history and stuff. And tech books but those are less words and more diagrams and an entirely different sort of enjoyment."

"Well, if that's the case you certainly never have a shortage of reading materials," he paused, leaning against the study table and continuing the conversation, even though he knew he ought to be dealing with his books that were still in shipping crates in the bookcage.

"That has seemed to be accurate so far," Mistoffelees agreed.

"Can I tempt you with any books to check out again today?"

"You think you have to tempt me?" Mistoffelees asked. "I don't do so well with temptation. It's more like instantly give in."

Coricopat blinked at the teen for a long moment, taking his glasses off to clean them rather than look at him, "Well, there's rather a nice variety here, I have to admit I was a bit surprised."

"Oh," Mistoffelees said. "Why surprised? I mean, okay, we're not a big town or anything, but this is pretty much like the only major home for books and learning, and we do have a college outside the city limits, though, they have their own library there, but there seems to be an overall vibe of learning in the air, and rampant death but you're new here so anyway that's--I need an off switch."

"I meant the wide variety of texts, even before I brought some of my own with me.  I was pretty certain most Americans didn't even know of some of those tomes," the librarian responded with a bit of a smile as he replaced his glasses.

"Oh," Mistoffelees' eyes lit up at the idea of tomes Americans mostly didn't see. "So, it seems like you came a long way. Why'd you end up here anyway?"

"It..."  He tried to remember his cover story, "It seemed like it was time for a change, and well, you don't get much more of a change than Southern California."

"No, I mean, the climate alone besides you know, other stuff," Mistoffelees said and considered what the other was wearing. "Tweed isn't really a Californian look."

"It's a light tweed," Coricopat offered in quiet protest.  "Unlike what I arrived in."

"That must have just about suffocated you, being all used to England weather. I mean, I'm assuming you're used to England weather."

"I've lived there my entire life, so yes, I am rather accustomed to English weather," he agreed.  "Spent much of my time in London for the last several years, actually.

Mistoffelees' eyes went wide and he made a faint sound before shaking his head. "London seems like a wonderful world that is far, far away."

Coricopat offered a slight shrug, "It's not really so very different from other large cities, in many ways.  A bit cooler, and a shade more inclined toward rain, but not all that much different."

"Not to mention lots of people and hey, big city. I hear they have tea there too," Mistoffelees said, not quite longing in his voice.

"Do, do you like tea then?"

Mistoffelees blinked once, partly at the hesitation in the question and partly because he actually had to consider. "I certainly like the idea of tea," he said. "I'm not sure I can say it's been something I've encountered often in my own life though."

The librarian considered that before nodding, "More's the pity.  There’s nothing quite like a cup of earl grey brewed correctly."

"Well I'm an American," he said and smiled faintly. "Where on Earth would I find a correctly brewed cup of tea?" he teased, tone light.

"A very good point," came the response, accompanied by a small smile.  "But now you have a British librarian, so perhaps it may happen."

"I hope so," Mistoffelees said and looked at the clock, sliding off the counter. "Classes start soon. I'll be back for more temptation later," he added and was out the door.

Coricopat choked on the breath he was drawing at that, doubling over as he tried to get his breath back.  There were so many levels on which he hoped the other wouldn't actually be back, and he certainly didn't want him back for more temptation.

o-o-o

Griddlebone stepped out of her introductory meeting with the principal, looking over her shoulder at the door rather than where she was going.  That had been a very confusing meeting, caught somewhere between assuring her she was welcome and threatening in case she made any mistakes.

Paying at much attention to where he was going as she was, Tugger collided with the new student as he made his way down the hall, already later than he should have been. Still not entirely comfortable in his lanky form, he tripped over backwards, falling about the exact same way he had earlier.

Stumbling and falling, her bag spilling, Griddlebone huffed and muttered under her breath as she went scrambling after her stuff, "Sorry, wasn't watching where I was going."

"No it's cool," he said, springing back up almost instantly, more than used to falling down. "No one was watching, there was a big non watching thing going on and holy shit you're more attractive up close and--er, not personal because we're not really personal yet."

Her eyebrows rose, but she offered him a slightly forced smile, "Not really, but thanks for the compliment."  She paused, shoving her bag under her arm and holding out her other hand, "Griddlebone Summers."

"And I'm Tugger," he said. "Tugger is me and of the me shape and oh god there are still words coming out of my mouth. This is actually an issue. A condition even. I've been infected by my best friend and it's a whole big issue where I'm still talking."

That actually got slightly closer to a real smile, "So you're Tugger, then."  She looked down the hall, getting up, "I'd...really probably better get to class."

"Yes, class," Tugger agreed, bending over to scoop up the things that had fallen out of her bag. "Because that's something people go to school for. That's a reason for being in this very building in fact."

"Supposedly," she agreed.  "And since I just got out of a really confusing introduction to our principal I should go see about that."  Taking the things she offered him a smile, "Have a good day, it was good to meet you."

"Yeah, it was nice to see you up close and... well still not terribly personal but good luck with those class things!"

The girl shook her head, but offered him a wave as she headed toward where her first class was.

Looking back at the floor while he was cursing himself, Tugger paused before picking up the stake she'd left behind in her haste. "Oh you forgot your--!" he called but she was already gone around the corner and he frowned at the piece of wood in his hands. "Your stake thing?"

o-o-o

Griddlebone settled into a desk for history, taking some notes throughout the class, but pausing when the teacher told them to turn to a particular page in the text book she didn't have.  She startled when the red-headed girl next to her tapped her arm and shared her textbook.  The class went off without a hitch. 

At the end of class as they were packing everything up, the red-head looked at her, "So I'm Bombalurina.  If you want a book of your own I bet the library has one."

"Great, I...don't actually know where that is," the blonde answered.

"Well, that's okay, I'm headed that way myself.  I'll show you and we can get to know each other on our way."  Bombalurina shouldered her bag and they left the room, "So, you came from L.A.  Which means you'll be a shoe-in for time spent with me and my friends.  No need to take the tests we usually require."

Griddlebone offered an uncertain smile, "That's cool.  So, what do you do for fun around here?"

"That would be the Bronze.  The only club in town.  You should totally join us tonight."

Head down and heading for his next class, Mistoffelees didn't see them, more focused on the thought of if he could make it back to the library during lunch or if that was just a silly plan.

"Oh, and rule number one of this school," Bomba spoke loudly enough that Mistoffelees couldn't miss her, "know your losers so you can avoid them."

Startling, Mistoffelees' head snapped up and he looked at her a long moment before noticing the blonde beside her and ducked his head back down.

Griddlebone's face was unreadable as Bombalurina continued, "Misto, I love that vest, it's so good to know Sears sales rack is treating you well."

"It's nice of you to assume it's from Sears," he said, glancing up quickly and then down, moving to try and pass her.

"You're right, even they wouldn't sell anything _that_ out of date," the red-head responded, eying the green plaid with distaste.

"On the other hand, at least I don't fall for every single fashion trend," he said, glancing at her skirt, expression scathing, before shrugging.

"You wouldn’t know good fashion if it hit you over the head," Bombalurina answered, ignoring the way Griddlebone shifted back and adjusted the sweater she'd chosen because it was in style.

"And yet I am not a sheep who keeps dying their coat each season, so I still consider myself ahead," he said, shoulders tense and looking like he'd really rather be hiding under the library table but refusing to run. "Besides, considering your vocabulary, would you know good English if a dictionary hit you over the head."

"Oh, ha ha very funny.  A sheep, that's inventive."  Bomba shrugged, "I don't need to use my full vocabulary around you, it's not worth my time to prove myself to a social pariah."

"And yet you're still taking the time," he said and tried stepping around her again.

"Did your mom pick--oh wait, that's right she can't pick out your clothes, can she?"  One elegantly plucked eyebrow arched.  Griddlebone read at least some of what was implied in that and gaped at the other girl, something angry and cold snapping into place in her eyes.

Mistoffelees gaped at her for a second before his expression blanked. "No, she didn't," he said and twisted around her to move down the hall as quickly as he could.

Bombalurina tossed her head, her red hair flipping back behind her shoulder, "Well, we were headed to the library, right?"

Griddlebone watched the boy go, tempted to go after him rather than continue on, "What?  Oh, yeah."

The other girl had already dismissed Mistoffelees from her mind and was starting in on all the goings on around the school, finishing when they reached the library, "And we've got gym together, so I'll see you there and you can tell me all about you."

Offering her a bright smile that didn't reach her eyes, Griddlebone chirped, "Great."  As Bombalurina left, the smile dropped, "Won't that be lots of fun."  If the way the other girl used her knowledge about their classmate was any indication, Griddlebone planned on keeping everything a secret.  She pushed the door to the library open and entered the oddly dim space.

"Hello?  Anyone here?"  She moved further into the library, jumping slightly when the librarian emerged from his office, "Oh, there is someone here."

Coricopat blinked at her, "Another student.  Strange.  Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I hope so, see it's kinda my first day here and I'm needing some books."

"Miss Summers?"  His grey eyes lit up slightly behind his glasses.

"That's me. Brand new, probably the talk of a little school like this."  She looked down and rifled through her bag for her booklist, "I've got the paper here somewhere, I'm going to need--"

"I know exactly what you're looking for,” he said, tone quicker than it had been and looking possibly more excited than he had since stepping off the plane into Californian weather.

She arched an eyebrow, and glanced at him as he disappeared back into the office again, "Right.  Okay."  Finding the list she put it on the counter, jumping as he dropped a tome next to it.  The book was old, the leather tooled and cracking.  Written on the cover in gold leaf was the word "Vampyre."  The teen paled, "That's not my book."

The librarian blinked at her, "You're, you're certain?"

"Yes.  I'm certain.  That is _not_ the book I'm looking for," she backed up half a step and as he went to return to book to his office with a soft apology she took off out the door, leaving her list behind.

"What was it you were looking--"  He swore under his breath.  Some watcher he was shaping up to be, having just managed to scare off his slayer.

o-o-o

Several hours found Mistoffelees sitting on the hallway that went around the school quad, his back to a tree and his nose in a book instead of food.

Griddlebone spotted him across the quad and made her way over, stopping a short distance away, "Hey."

Startling, he looked up in alarm. "What--Do you want something?"

“To join you if there's room?"  She asked carefully, "And to apologize for not saying anything earlier."

He blinked in confusion before motioning over beside him, still within the shade of the tree.

She sat down, leaving space between them and pulled her lunch out of her bag, "Do you usually spend lunch out here?"

"I don't have to," he said, a shade too quickly and still eying her oddly, fingers twitching against the book cover he was holding.

"No, that wasn't what I meant at all." She assured rapidly, "I was just curious."

"Why?" he asked and winced when he realized how suspicious he sounded.

"Because I'm trying to get to know people here?  And, well, like I said I wanted to apologize for not standing up to Bombalurina earlier."

"You do realize it's pretty much entirely illegal to hang out with both of us right?" he asked, not sure how to react to the apology. "And not just because of the complete loss of cool or mysterious aura you might get from being the new girl."

"I wasn't aware of that, but based on what I saw earlier I probably could have guessed it," she answered.  "You'll notice I'm not having lunch with _her_ though."

"Why…” he started and changed tract. “Thus witness my mass confusion," he said, shifting back against the tree and holding the book against his chest as if a shield.

"Because I don't like bullies?"  Griddlebone offered.  "And frankly, if that's what she's like most of the time I really don't want to spend my time around her.  Been there, done that, not wanting to do it again."

"Most people do," Mistoffelees said, still looking wary.

Griddlebone tugged at a lock of her hair, not quite able to believe she was going to say this, "I'm not really most people."  The boy might not know how much she actually meant with that, but it was said either way, "I just, I've seen bitchy and I've seen bullying and that last comment she threw at you?  That was a level 20 out of a scale of 1 to 10."

"And not actually a rare comment," he said, trying to convince himself to put the book down, though worried he might start fiddling with the vest instead.

"Which justifies it and is an argument for me to go sit with her for lunch?"

"No," he said, quickly.

She considered that, pausing before asking, "Do you mind me sitting here?"

"It's not," he started and shook his head slightly. "It's not that I mind, I'm just not sure why you are here. Even if you don't approve of Bomba--well, there's not a lot of other students in the school but there's quite a few."

"I dunno really.  You just, you held your own right up to the point where she leveled up in cruelty.  And, I don't know, the fact that you didn't just take it was, well, different."

He paused, looking maybe even more wary. "Except that standing up only makes it worse in the long run."

"Of the four people I've really even sort of met today, you're the one I wanted to spend lunch with.  Is, is that a bad thing?"

He looked at her sideways. "It's a confused thing," he said finally. "Dare I ask who else you met?"

"The librarian and a guy I ran into on the way out of the principal's office.  Um, Tugger I think."

"Oh," Mistoffelees said and looked both amused and somewhat horrified. "Well, I actually hate to break it to you then but--"

"Misto!" Tugger said from across the quad, moving quickly. "Today has been a day I swear it--Oh. You have, there is, there is woman."

"Yes," Mistoffelees said, looking up at the blond and his eyes turning warmer than they had been since he first ran into Griddlebone. "You could be polite."

Her eyebrows rose and she grinned, "Well, I'm not saying I chose you cause I didn't want to have lunch with him, I just wanted to have lunch with you more."

"That's good," Mistoffelees said.

"There's a lunch having thing?" Tugger asked, looking at his friend in some alarm.

"There's more of an I came over and asked to join him and he didn't tell me to get lost thing," Griddlebone corrected.

"Oh well that's great," Tugger said brightly and Mistoffelees arched his brows up.

"So you two have met then?" he asked, a little worried about which sort of answer he might get and not commenting on the idea of telling Griddlebone to get lost.

"Oh, we go so far back," Tugger said. "I mean, anciently, but then there was that long desert of no contact between us but I think that time is past and we're growing back together and is it just me or am I more of babbling idiot than usual?"

"It's certainly not just you," Mistoffelees assured him as Tugger collapsed in a tangle of limbs on his side opposite Griddlebone.

Griddlebone smiled a bit at that, "We go way back, back before first period at least."

"Ancient history," Tugger said with a subdued nod and Mistoffelees laughed at him, accepting the soda Tugger handed him happily.

"So, you two know each other then?"  the girl motioned between the other teens with her sandwich.

"Yeah," Mistoffelees said with a nod.

"I said my babbling tendencies were rubbing off on me from elsewhere, didn't I?" Tugger protested.

Griddlebone's eyebrows rose and she looked at Mistoffelees, "You babble?"

"Profusely," Tugger assured and Mistoffelees blushed and ducked his head down.

"I don't believe it."

"Oh just wait," Tugger said with a laugh, leaning back on the wall, bracing himself on his hands. "You just either have to make him nervous or tired. Or, caffeine."

"We both know I'm not allowed to have coffee anymore," Mistoffelees muttered into the soda.

"Soda has caffeine, or at least some does," Griddlebone supplied helpfully.

"He's build an immunity to that much," Tugger said, pulling a tragic face and Mistoffelees looked like he was considering pitching him off the wall.

"You look like you regret that fact," the girl said with another smile.

"Well, he tends to be aware of what coffee is now," Tugger said and Mistoffelees knocked his knee against Tugger's leg. "So yeah, I do. It's terrible."

"I am sitting right here," Mistoffelees said.

Griddlebone nodded slightly, changing the subject after a moment, "So, what can you guys tell me about the librarian?"

"We have a librarian?" Tugger asked, eyes widening. "Oh, those this mean you don't have to check your own books in and out anymore? Because I don't think you should be trusted with that much authority."

Mistoffelees gave him a long look before pointedly turning back to Griddlebone. "He started today, he wears tweed in California, is opinionated on tea, is British, and brought his own collection of books."

"And," she stopped as she decided that any questions she had weren't quite innocent enough.  "So you've met him and Tugger hasn't.  And wait, he only started today?"

"Because Misto lives in the library and I avoid it?" Tugger offered and Mistoffelees nodded.

"Just today."

"And nothing seemed, well, weird about him?"  She finally asked.

"He's British?" Mistoffelees offered. "He didn't seem too weird overall. I mean, he's a high school librarian."

Griddlebone nodded very slightly, "Okay, he just seems really, um, enthusiastic."

"Really?" Mistoffelees frowned.

"Yeah, seems to really like his topic, or whatever," she shrugged, not sure how to express what had happened without tossing aside all her plans to have a normal life in a normal town.

"Well, I mean, libraries," Mistoffelees offered.

"He probably didn't notice," Tugger said, leaning around Mistoffelees and grinning at Griddlebone again. "Because he's uber enthused about books and libraries himself."

That earned a smile, "Everyone has the right to be enthusiastic about something I guess.  Books are a good thing for it to be, not that I really get that, but hey, whatever you like."

"And he really likes books, it's almost indecent," Tugger said and Mistoffelees finally gave into the urge to push him off the half wall. Laughing, Tugger looked up at him and grinned. "What?"

"Indecent," Mistoffelees repeated with a huff.

"How about you, Tugger?"  Griddlebone asked, "What earns your enthusiasm?"

"Not books," he said quickly. "Pizza, occasionally movies."

"Hey, not books is good too.  I'm with you in that not books zone," she said with a firm nod.

“Uneducated heathens," Mistoffelees muttered as Tugger bounced back up.

"I'm not uneducated," Grids protested, a slight smile playing around her lips. "But I can't argue the heathen bit."

The corner of Mistoffelees' mouth twitched as Tugger leaned over his shoulder. "Hey, do you think we can keep her?"

"That's more up to her," Mistoffelees pointed out. "Some people are adverse to being adopted on their first day in a new place."

"If I'm adopted by you two can I go home and tell my mom that I actually made friends at school?"  Griddlebone asked.

The two boys exchanged a look. "Great! Consider yourself adopted into the small band of Sunnydale... do we have more a title than that?"

"No," Mistoffelees said, shaking his head. "No titles. Absolutely not." He hesitated before glancing over at Griddlebone. "Only if you're sure though. So your mom wanted you to make friends today then?"

"I'm sure, yes," Griddlebone nodded.  "She's hopeful that I will eventually make friends that will keep me out of trouble, but I don't know that she wanted me to make them today."

"And... you think we're likely to keep you out of trouble?" Mistoffelees asked and Tugger laughed on his other side. "I suppose it depends on which kind of trouble you mean."

"The sort that got me booted from my last school?" she offered hesitantly.

They both considered her for a moment, as if trying to figure out whether to ask or not. "That something we should be aware of?" Mistoffelees asked, leaving open the room for her to say no. "Or is it too much a sore subject?"

"It was an accident, but, well."  She paused, "If anyone around here gets ahold of it you'll probably find out anyway." Griddlebone tugged on the ends of her hair again as she answered, "But I think I'd rather not talk about it my first day here.  I already had to go over it with the principal."

“That's cool," Tugger declared. "As long as you weren't like framed for murder that you actually did we're cool."

"You really should not speak words somedays," Mistoffelees remarked.

"No, I can promise I have not been framed for murder," the girl assured them.  "So if you can live with me being a sheep for the fashion industry I think this could really work out," She spoke with a smile to show she was at least mostly teasing.

Tugger looked confused for a long moment and Mistoffelees blushed. "I think I can live with most of that," he murmured. "I mean, there's a difference in liking fashion and lording over fashion."

"And I like it.  If you ask my mom maybe a bit too much some days."

"Eh, fashion is far too pricey," Tugger said, sounding breezy but meaning it entirely.

"Keeping in mind that if this works you will be seen in public with us," Mistoffelees pointed out.

"Fashion doesn't have to be a price tag no matter what Bombalurina seems to think," Griddlebone answered.  She shrugged slightly, "I can live with your eclectic tastes in clothes. And if I didn't want to be seen in public with you I think it's a little late."

"I suppose that's true," Mistoffelees said after a moment's pause, tugging self consciously on the vest he was wearing.

"And that color's good on you," she added.  "Plaid's a little odd, but I like the color."

"You could probably find it in fuzzy, you know," Tugger added.

"I could find pretty much everything in fuzzy if I looked hard enough," Mistoffelees pointed out.

"Fuzzy?"  Griddlebone's eyebrows rose slightly at that.

"He's a very fuzzy soul," Tugger said with a completely straight face and Mistoffelees shot him a long look.

The girl bit her lip to hide a smile, "Cuddly sort of fuzzy?"

"Entirely cuddly," Tugger nodded, actually speaking for experience and yet Mistoffelees looked like he was thinking about shoving him off again.

"Well, that's the good sort of fuzzy."  She paused, "So what do you guys do for fun?"

"He reads," Tugger said, pointing to Mistoffelees. "There's pizza places, movie watching, there's the Bronze which is pretty much the only club in town in which we spend an excessive amount of time, and then there's our numerous and lovely graveyards if you ever feel like touring them as our only real landmark, but no one does."

She laughed nervously, "Yeah, no I would avoid the graveyards.  Sounds like a creepy place, really."

"Some of the mausoleums are quite spectacular," Tugger replied and shook his head. "I mean, the architecture and pompousness that went into them, but the Bronze is definitively the better social spot."

"There's music and ice cream," Mistoffelees said. "There's not really a lot of town to do things in here."

"Well, what about say meeting up at the bronze later then?" She offered.

"We're always there so that is acceptable," Tugger said with a nod. "By the way, Misto, I've been meaning to ask, did you seriously already check another book out? You just returned five!"

"Four," he said idly. "And this was one I found at home."

"There's a book in your house you haven't read yet?" Tugger asked slowly, clearly trying to believe the fact.

"It's a big house!" Mistoffelees protested. "There are rooms I don't spend a lot of time in that apparently have books. Besides, I said it was a long weekend earlier, didn't I?"

"What book is it?"  Griddlebone asked, putting her lunchbag away.

He paused, glancing at the cover. "Return of the Native, by Hardy."

"You have got to stick to assigned reading," Tugger sighed, dramatically. "You make the rest of us look like idiots when you read that in your spare time."

"Why do I have the feeling he finished the assigned reading before the first month of school was done?" Griddlebone glanced at Tugger.

"Because it took him three weeks and four days," Tugger said.

"I did not," Mistoffelees protested. "If I did all the reading that first month, I'd have no idea what we were talking about by the end of the first semester. Thus, I do every month's reading the first week of that month, thank you very much."

Griddlebone nodded very slightly, "So in other words you're the person who I'm going to regret not being the day before an assignment's due."

"Probably," Mistoffelees admitted.

"I can promise it, having been there many times myself," Tugger nodded.

The bell rang and Griddlebone startled, "Looks like we'd better get a move on.  I'll see you guys later?"

"Bronze, seven," Tugger declared. "Baring you know, seeing you again in class."

"Or colliding with each other in the halls again," she replied with a grin.

"We'll try to avoid that," Tugger said and paused. "By the way, the only thing I can figure is that you're building a really tiny fence."

Blinking at him, she tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, "What?"

"Well, you dropped this earlier," Tugger said, handing her stake back.

Her hand closed around it and her eyes widened, "Oh, right, it's...it's for self-defense.  Everyone in L.A. carries them."

"Stakes?" Mistoffelees said. "Why, do they have a vampire problem there?" He meant the words sarcastically but they came out more confused than anything.

She forced a laugh, reminding herself that a normal life in a normal town was what she wanted, "Vampires, yeah right.  Like in the books and movies?"

"Those sorts of things are getting popular again," Mistoffelees pointed out.

"Hence the stake," she offered blithely.  "You know, just in case there's a reason they are?"

"I will never understand fads," Tugger said with a mournful shake of his head.

"They come and go, that's about all there is to know about them," Griddlebone responded, dropping the stake back into her bag.  "See you guys at the Bronze."

Waving at her as she left, Mistoffelees hefted his bag up. "That was--"

"Different," Tugger finished. "There's a new person. We have a new person."

"If it lasts," Mistoffelees said, having spotted Bombalurina across the quad at one point though she hadn't come over.

"Cheer up!" Tugger said brightly, walking with his smaller friend to their next class. "It'll work out, just watch." Humming, Mistoffelees nodded, still more inclined to be wary.

o-o-o

After she got home from school, Griddlebone looked over the clothes she had in her closet, frowning and starting to unpack another box, digging through for the outfit she wanted to wear to the Bronze.  She heard the door open when her mom got home, calling down the stairs, "I'm up in my room."

Dropping her keys on the table by the door and rubbing a hand over her eyes, Jenny took the stairs up. "Hello honey," she said, looking at the clothes strew on the bed out of the box. "Unpacking?"

"Finding an outfit."  She picked up a short black skirt and blue top, frowning at them in the mirror before tossing both back toward the box, "I'm going to meet some people tonight after dinner."

"People?" Jenny asked, fishing. "What sorts of people? Good people?"

 "Good people.  One really smart guy and his friend, neither of who asked for my deep dark secrets, so I call it good," her daughter said, picking up a dark red skirt and a light shirt, considering them and putting them in the pile to look at again.

Jenny barely managed not to ask if her daughter had any deep dark secrets. "I do like that skirt," she offered instead. "So you made friends?"

"I did.  I think you'll like them," she picked the skirt up again, considering it and putting it to one side as she dug around for a top to go with it.

"So that implies I might get to meet them someday?" Jenny asked, coming to sit on the side of the bed, clearing a small space for herself out of all the clothes. There was no real part to unpacking she was looking forward to, between setting up the gallery and making the house look more like a home again.

Griddlebone nodded, picking up a light yellow halter-top and comparing it with the skirt before deciding on it and picking out a black jacket to go over it, "Yeah, of course.  They're the friends I've made here already and they're really nice.  I hope this works out with them long enough to have you meet them."

"Well, you said one of them was smart, didn't you? I can't imagine them not wanting to be your friends."

That earned a smile, "Thanks.  As long as I don't step in any landmines while talking to him that should work, yeah."

"What sort of landmines?" Jenny asked, handing her daughter one of her leather jackets.

"Um, well, I met him while one of my classmates was showing me to the library.  She, she said something about his mom not being around."  Accepting the jacket she dug through a box labeled "shoes" until she found the knee-high boots she wanted.

Jenny paused, considering those words and the almost hesitant tone her daughter used while saying them. "You think his mother isn't around then? And that classmate does not sound terribly nice."

"I'm pretty sure she isn't."  She started changing into the other outfit, "And frankly?  Pardon my language, but she's a bitch and a bully."

"But you're meeting the other one you met today instead?" Jenny asked, letting the language slide right past her.

"Yeah, I mean she might be there, apparently this is the only place to hang out in town, but I'm definitely meeting the guys there instead."

"So two guys then," Jenny asked, arching her brows and tilting her head slightly, tone a shade teasing.

"Yes, and at this point, god no.  They're nice, they let me sit with them at lunch, even though I'd been present at Bombalurina's bitchfest," shimmying into the shirt and turning her attention to her hair and make-up she glanced in the mirror at her mom.  "How'd your day go?"

"It was long," Jenny said with a sigh, rising and automatically going to hang some of the discarded clothes in the closet. "The gallery site should work out wonderfully though, and the rent isn't bad. It's just... a lot of work. But we'll make it work in the long run."

"I'm glad the site's gonna work out.  And I'll bet it'll be the best gallery anyone in this town's ever seen."

"I hope so," Jenny laughed. "There's not really much call for gallery's here it seems, as I haven't really found any other art ones."

"Well, it's not a very big town, but you'll wow them all with your plans."

"I hope so," she said after a moment with a faint laugh. "Well, if you're going out I suppose that means I should make dinner for us."

"I'll be down in a few minutes to give you a hand, if you want?  I just gotta get some of these things put away first,” her daughter offered.

"Thank you," Jenny said with a smile, hanging the last shirt she was holding before heading down the stairs, humming a snatch of song she'd heard on the radio that day.

Griddlebone smiled, putting away her clothes and carefully sliding the stake she'd carried to school into the hidden pocket in her coat-sleeve before heading downstairs to help with dinner.

o-o-o

Shortly before seven, Griddlebone made her way through the dark streets of Sunnydale, a stake and cross in her purse.  She turned down an alley and glanced around, swinging herself up onto a metal fire escape.

Several moments later, a tall and broad shouldered man moved down the alley, hands in his pockets and light glinting vaguely off his red hair. He seemed to be looking for something without finding it.

She waited until he passed her hiding place to swing down and kick him in the back, landing easily balanced on the balls of her feet, "What do you think you're doing?"

Stumbling forward, he turned quickly, leather duster swirling out around him. "I was walking. What do you think you're doing?"

"I meant, what do you think you're doing following me for the last three blocks," she tensed, ready for an attack.

"I was following you?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a smirk. "Maybe I just like this alley. It's a fine specimen of an alleyway."

Her eyes narrowed, "What do you want?"

"Maybe I just want to dance," he said, taking a step forward and spreading his arms out, the light catching a silver ring he wore.

Griddlebone took an equal step back, her hand straying toward her bag, "Back it up, buddy." He spread his arms wider and took a careful, almost mocking step backward. "You have anything in your head besides sarcasm and a serious desire for hurt?"

"Well, if you're going to be that way," he said, eyes glinting. "Maybe I do have something else."

"A strange man in a dark alleyway?  I should mace you," she answered.  "What else do you have?"

"You're the one that hid up there and kicked me in the back," he pointed out and then paused before reaching into his coat, drawing out a small package and tossing it toward her. "You'll need this. And also, you know as well as I do that mace ain't going to do you any good against the night."

She caught the box, opening it to reveal a large silver cross necklace, "Not against the night, but it's a start on stalkers."

"Not a stalker," he said and paused. "Well, not in the sense you mean. Do you have any idea where you're standing?"

"In a dark alley on my way to a club in Sunnydale California--an hour from the nearest mall.  What am I missing?"  She pocketed the necklace.

He eyed the pockets. "You'll probably want to put that on, because you're standing on the mouth of hell."

"I'll wait til I'm somewhere that I don't need both of my hands.  And 'mouth of hell'?  Anything more or is that all I get?"

"Well," he said, laughing. "If I told you all my secrets, what would that do to my mysterious aura?"

"Make me less likely to mace you?" she offered cheerily.

He laughed again, hands braced on his hips. "Oh, I've been waiting for someone like you for a while. Almost makes life worth it all again. But you're on the mouth of hell, and no matter how much you want to pretend that you're a normal girl in a normal town none of its true and you better be careful."

"You know _way_ too much, buddy.  Just so you know.  And I'm getting sick and tired of people coming to me with things like this and books labeled 'vampyre' and.  Just no.  I've already ruined lives once already."  She crossed her arms, scowling.

Something flirted through his eyes, looking like regret. "You're right, you should be a creature of the light but that's not how it goes. I know too much, but so do you and you can't close your eyes to it."

"I can do a damn good job of it though.  In by nine or ten, out after sunrise.  Live as the diurnal creature I'm supposed to be," Griddlebone answered.  "Either way, I have friends to meet and things to do tonight."

"Remember how you're standing on the mouth of Hell?" he said, not looking impressed. "It's going to try and open and something dark wants to crawl out of it. If you're not ready, he'll eat you alive."

"I'd like to see him try," she replied testily, starting to move past him.  "I've got places to be."

He moved to reach out to stop her and hesitated, his fingers barely not touching her skin. "You see your watcher, you should probably let him know."

"You mean the creepy librarian?  Yeah, I'm going to be trying not to see him tonight, thanks."

"We all want what we can't have," he said, and seemed to take a breath before snatching his hand back.

She eyed his hand before looking up at him, "Words to live by.  I attract you creepy vague ones don't I?"  Shaking her head, Griddlebone turned and continued on her way.

He paused, almost letting her go. "Oi. Have you attracted creepy vague men before?"

“My first watcher.  So far the new one's just creepy and enthusiastic," she tossed back over her shoulder.

"Yeah but that's not--" he started and shook his head, giving her a thin smile. "If that's what you think."

Her eyes narrowed again, but she shrugged and finally left the alley to go to the Bronze.

He watched her go, fingers on his right hand idly turning the ring he wore before shaking his head and slipping off another way.


	2. Trying to be One of Them

Once past the bouncer at the door, Griddlebone looked around the club, hoping to spot Mistoffelees or Tugger.  Seeing the black-haired boy across the room by the bar she wove her way through the crowd to his side, "Hey, you."

He didn't startle but he did look up in some surprise. "Hey," he managed. "I... so you actually came?"

"I said I would, didn't I?" she replied, perching next to him.

"Yes," he agreed idly. "But there's always that initial time where someone says they're going to do something but you're still not entirely sure whether they will or not."

"Well, here I am."  She looked around, "And Tugger's coming too?"

"He'll be along shortly," Mistoffelees assured. "He runs a bit late generally speaking, which is odd considering how fast he can move and all."

"Right.  Well, here we are.  So, how was your afternoon?"

"Well, it was afternoony," he said. "There were classes, there were books, there was the walk home and then trying to coach Tugger through Geometry using a pizza and Oreos as bait..."

She grinned at that, "Did the bait work?"

"He got through most of it," Mistoffelees nodded. "Slowly, not quite surely, but I think it did. He just ran home 'cause he wanted to shower and change."

Griddlebone considered that and nodded, "So what do you recommend to have here?"

"The Italian sodas are good," he offered. "And the hot chocolates. There's some pretty good pastries." He shifted slightly, still unsure why she was there.

"I think an Italian soda sounds good tonight," she nodded decisively.

"The black cherry is a particularly nice flavor," he said, leaning against the side of the counter and looking around the club and at the door before returning his gaze to her. "So, you're from LA right? It must be much smaller and more boring here for you."

"I like boring, though," came the response as she ordered a black cherry Italian soda.  "Though, I gotta admit it's kind of sad to be this far from a mall."

"Well, we do actually have one of those," he offered. "It's a bit outside of town on the south side so you might not have seen it yet but it's here. A bit... small but there's even a book store there. Because once again, I am reminded that we are a college town."

"Oh, well in that case I may have to go check it out.  But, yeah, it's really small compared to LA.  On the other hand, I kinda like it so far.  It's quiet and quiet is good."

"Very quiet," Mistoffelees agreed. "Which borders on boring. Though I mean there's the mall, there's the main street with what other shops we have, a park down at the beach, and there's another park up north, though that borders scarily close to where Bomba lives."

"So that means there are things to do, which means not so much on the boring.  But also not too freaky either," Griddlebone picked up her drink from the bar, sipping at it.

He blinked at her once. "Not so freaky?"

"Creepy?” she offered instead, realizing how close she’d gotten to slipping and saying something stupid. “Or, well, it's not LA."

"I just think you might have a different idea of what this town is like is all," Mistoffelees said.

"Well, what's it like?"  She asked, starting to dread the answer after her conversation with the guy in the alley.

"Well there," he paused. "There's a lot of cemeteries is all. I mean, we got a new librarian in the middle of the year because the last one disappeared last month. It's just..."

Mouth of hell apparently wasn't just a figure of speech, "Lots of death?"

He shrugged, looking down. "Sometimes. I don't know, no one's ever really tried to explain it all."

"I guess it just means you have to live for the moment, then," she replied quietly.

"Something like that," he said, looking down and stirring the straw that was in his Italian soda.

She glanced at Mistoffelees, "So, are you seeing anyone?"

"That," he choked, looking over at her. "What? I mean, no, I mean, why?"

"I'm just curious is all.  It's kind of a natural state for me," she shrugged very slightly, sipping at her drink again.

"Dating is not really something that comes on my agenda," Mistoffelees said and paused. "No, that's wrong. More of it's not something that I often have the chance for."

"Have you ever thought about it, though?"

"Thought about dating?" he asked. "I'm a non-asexual teenage boy what do you think?"

She laughed, "Okay, let me rephrase.  Is there anyone specific you've thought about dating?"

"Not really," he shook his head. "First of all, they would have to gain interest in me, which is totally something of the not happening. And then secondly I would have to care and considering most b--people in this town I just don't entirely see that working either. I mean, there have, in junior high, been some upperclass students but of course there was the whole age difference followed closely by graduation thing and even then I knew vague crushes didn't work in the long run so no?"

Her eyebrows rose and she blinked a couple of times, "So you do actually babble.  But, yeah I guess I know what you mean.  But is there really anything so bad about say going on a single date with a crush or something like that?  See if it could be more than a vague crush type thing?"

"That would require me to have a current crush, and I am happily-or sadly--crush free at the moment," he replied, mostly meaning it. "What about you? Leave a boyfriend back in LA?"

She shook her head, "No, not really.  I mean, sure I had some guys I dated last year, but that kinda went out the window not long before we moved."

"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it. "I mean, having anything like that go out the window must suck. I’m not speaking form much experience."

"It wasn't really working, and I was the one who broke it off."  She shrugged, "I just haven't been able to get around to dating again since then."

"No one in Sunnydale catching your eye?" he asked. "It's a fair question, you did ask me."

"I haven't really been around enough for it.  I mean, there's one guy who I saw who was," she stirred her drink, "well, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way."

He blinked once. "I'm not sure I can say I've seen anyone who fits that. He wasn't at school, was he?"

"No, not at school." She shook her head, "He was tall, like really tall, dark red hair and really blue eyes.  I'd take a guess and put him in his early twenties."

"Huh," Mistoffelees considered. "He might be an out of town college student or something."

"Maybe so," Griddlebone shrugged.  "Maybe we'll find out later.  Maybe I'll never see him again, guess we'll have to see."  She looked toward the door, pausing and frowning when she saw the school librarian entering, "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Who?" Mistoffelees looked after her line of sight and blanched. "Um, that's a good question."

Coricopat paused when he saw them and briefly locked eyes with Griddlebone before slipping up the stairs to the balcony that overlooked most of the club.  The girl set her drink down, still trying to sort out whether she was actually going to go ask him why he was there and pass along the stranger's message or not.

"He, um," Mistoffelees frowned after him. "That was an odd look."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go see what that was all about.  Save my seat?  Or give it to Tugger when he gets here?"

"Yeah, of course," he said, smoothing out his frown and watching her go before lifting his eyes to the balcony to see if he might spot the librarian.

Coricopat didn't turn from where he was leaning on the railing when Griddlebone approached him and spoke, "So you like to party with the students, huh?  Isn't that a little skanky?"

The librarian pulled his gaze and his mind sharply away from the young man at the bar and offered the blonde a look of disdain that he hoped covered how close to home she had hit, "Yes because this is my idea of fun."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came because I have to impart to you how dreadfully important it is you not turn your back on your destiny."

"Oh, goddamn it, you're the new watcher aren't you?"  She crossed her arms, scowling, "Well, I got news for you.  I quit.  I am going to live a normal life and you can just toddle back to England and stay there."

"It's not that simple.  I don't think you understand the seriousness of what we're facing here," he protested.

"Yeah, yeah, standing on the mouth of hell and all that, I've heard it already tonight," she pulled out the jewelry box the stranger had given her and put the cross necklace on while they talked.

"On the what?"  His gaze followed the large silver cross.

"Mouth of hell.  Some creepy guy stopped me in an alley and told me that.  Also told me that something's going to be crawling out of it when it opens and it will eat me alive.  Can I go on record and say I didn't like him?"

"Mouth of hell, that's one I'm not familiar with,” Coricopat admitted.

"Oh, the big bad watcher doesn't know something.  Brilliant.  Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to having a good evening with friends."  She started to go, but he caught her arm to stop her.

"You still don't understand.  I've looked into the history of this town and they're plagued.  Not just vampires," he was grateful that the music pretty well covered up their conversation, "but everything you ever thought was under your bed as a child.  Everything that goes bump in the night, it's happened here."

"Great, find someone else," she shook him off.

"It doesn't work like that!"  He raked a hand through his brown hair, "There can only be one.  One girl in all the world who will--"

"Stand against the forces of darkness, yadda yadda.  Yeah I got that bit.  I'm, look, I'm not saying I'll never dust another one, I'm just saying that I have to stay in school and live a normal life too.  I'm not going extra-curricular with this."

He frowned for a long moment before nodding down toward the dance floor, "Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this room?"

"This many warm young bodies?  Probably,” Griddlebone shrugged, affecting that she didn’t care one way or another.

"Can you tell me who they are?  As a Slayer you should be able to sense them.  Your senses should be honed to a fine point in order to find the creatures."

She leaned over the railing, considering the crowd, "There's one."

"You can't possibly--where?"

Griddlebone pointed, "Over there, by the bar."

He followed the direction she was indicating, "You can't know that for certain."

"He looks like he walked out of the seventies.  And not the good part either.  Trust me, no one wears clothes like that if they can help it."

"But--" Coricopat broke off, looking closer at who the vampire was speaking to, "Isn't that--"

Griddlebone paled, already headed for the stairs, "Goddamnit, Mistoffelees."

Mistoffelees leaned harder against the bar, trying to avoid the other man that seemed to be insisting he come with him. "Look, it's not that--Okay, the answer to that is just no, but I have friends and I'm here with them I'm not just--"

"Friends huh?" the man Griddlebone pegged as a vampire asked, looking around the room. "They seem to be around, don't they?"

"That's not--" Mistoffelees tired and yelped when he was dragged off the stool. "Hey!" Several people looked over and turned back to what they were doing quickly enough. In Sunnydale people kept their heads down and didn't ask when it looked like people were fighting with each other. For all they knew the pair was brothers or having a lover's tiff.

Mistoffelees continued to protest, trying to pull back as the other dragged him out of the club. "No, you'll really want to see this."

"I'm really thinking I won't," Mistoffelees managed.

Griddlebone reached the bar and swore when Mistoffelees and the vampire were both missing.  She grabbed the nearest person, coming face to face with one of her classmates, "Which way did Mistoffelees go?"

"Who?"

"Oh for the love of," she pushed the guy back toward the conversation he'd been in before she started toward the nearest door, Coricopat meeting her partway there.

"Did you--"

"He's gone.  They both are.  I'm going after them now," she shouldered past him, intent on her exit.

"I should come--"

Griddlebone offered him a glare, "No.  You should go back to the school, to the library, and be prepared to patch Mistoffelees up and answer any questions he and I have when I get him out of there.  I'll go get him."  Before he could protest she slipped out the door and started in the direction she thought she'd seen a cemetery.  She could only hope she wasn't mistaken.

Coming down the street from behind her, Tugger jogged to catch up. "Hey, you there. Where you going so early?"

She startled and turned, "Tugger!  Thank God.  I still don't know this town well enough.  Where's the nearest cemetery?"

"The nearest--I was kidding about those tours earlier," he said, taken aback.

“Tugger, I'm serious and this is important.  Which way to the nearest cemetery and how far is it?"

"That way," he said, pointing. "Pine Grove, it's an older one and seriously why is this important?" She'd already started moving again and he went to catch up with her.

"Because Mistoffelees just disappeared out of the Bronze with some guy," Griddlebone answered, glancing down alleys and into dark shadows as they passed them to make sure the vampire and teen she was looking for weren't in any of them.

Tugger almost stopped in his tracks. "Misto?" he asked, faintly and disbelieving. "Misto and some guy? I'd say you got the wrong Misto but hey," he jogged a pace, even his long legs not quite prepared to keep up with her strides. "Okay, so Misto and some guy. And this is bad Misto and some guy? Actually, no, that's obvious, this is not normal behavior."

"You should so completely not be following me at this point," she spared him a glance.

"Um, and why not?" he asked, keeping pace now that he figured out how fast she was going.

"Because if this goes south I don't want to have to guard you _and_ Mistoffelees, that's why," she responded, digging through her purse and shoving her wallet into one of her pockets and her house keys into another.  She pulled out a spare stake and slid it into the sleeve that wasn't already holding one and withdrew the wooden cross she had in there as well before dropping the purse next to a bush, noting where it was in case she got the chance to come back for it.

"Um, protecting from what now?" Tugger asked, actually scooping up the purse before following.

"You're not leaving are you?"  She asked as they reached the edge of the cemetery.

"God no," he said, "Especially not if Misto is in some trouble. Or you're just a totally crazy person who needs someone else to pick up your stuff for you. I'll let you know when I've decided which it is."

"Great, okay, then I have some very specific instructions for you and if you, and Misto, want to get out of this alive you are going to follow them, got it?"  Her gaze was darting around the cemetery as she talked, looking for any sign of her quarry.

"If you say so," he managed, frowning at her and looking like he was more and more leaning toward crazy.

She shoved the wooden cross toward him, "You see anyone with something wrong with their face, bumpy foreheads, you hold tight to this thing and you make sure you keep it between you and them.  You hold tight enough that they can't knock it out of your hand because they will try.  And then you get Mistoffelees the hell out of here and let me deal with it.  Get him back to the school, to the library.  Clear?"

"Library, stake," Tugger repeated. "Wait, why the hell are you handing me a cross in defense?" Suddenly, a scream came from in front of them.

Griddlebone glanced at him again as she bolted toward the scream, "Because you're not fighting them.  You're getting Misto and you're leaving."

Having been dragged inside one of the mausoleums, Mistoffelees had given up and started screaming for help before the vampire clamped a hand over his mouth. "That's not going to get you anywhere," he assured.

A blond female vampire dressed in a catholic school girl uniform grimaced, "He won't make more than a mouthful."

Mistoffelees tried to jerk back and the vampire laughed. "Maybe not, but he's pretty, and you know the Master likes to look at pretty things when he's eating. Besides, from the conversation I was listening to he might make a good convert, if that's what he's in the mood for."

"A convert, hm?  What did you hear?"  She paced closer, examining Mistoffelees as she neared.

"He's got a bitter streak a mile wide," the vampire offered. "And books. It's a hunch as much as anything. Besides, as I said, you know he likes attractive meals."

Eyes going wide, Mistoffelees started struggling again, shoving backward and failing his arms before they were caught and he screamed again when his mouth was freed.

The door to the mausoleum swung open and Griddlebone strolled in looking far more at ease than she actually was, "You know, for a crypt this isn't bad.  Lacking in color, but not bad."  Her gaze moved to Mistoffelees and the two vampires but she managed not to react more than that.

Mistoffelees tried to surge forward again and was pulled back, Tugger coming up behind Griddlebone, still holding her purse and cross.

"This is not the place you wanted to come," the vampire holding Mistoffelees snarled.

"Really?"  Griddlebone looked around again, "Actually you're probably right.  Too much dust and cobwebs for my taste.  But hey, if that's what you go in for, more power to you."

The female vampire eyed the girl, something was off about her, "Well, like you said, it's not to your taste.  Out you go."

Griddlebone shrugged her shoulders, circling the raised tomb in the middle of the crypt, nearing them, "Can't really do that.  See you've got something I happen to care about here and I can't just leave him.  So, the way I see it we've got two options, you give him back and we all go our separate ways, or we do this the hard way and he and I still walk out of here."

Tugger glanced over at her in alarm and Mistoffelees chose that moment to step on the vampire's toes, while the man was laughing in Griddlebone's face. Snarling, the vampire threw him backwards toward the wall and advanced on Griddlebone.

"Hard way it is then."  She had her hands up and a stake in one of them.  Sparing only a glance to where Mistoffelees had fallen she snapped, "Tugger, get him out of here."

The female vampire hissed, slipping behind the other one and reaching for Mistoffelees only to get knocked back when Griddlebone pivoted around the one she'd originally spotted to kick the she-vamp away, "Careful, sweetie, you could hurt someone with that stick.  Put someone's eye out with it."

"How about a couple hearts instead," the Slayer growled in response.

Tugger hesitated before sliding along the wall toward Mistoffelees, who was trying to pull himself up along the wall, head ringing from where it'd slammed into the stone.

"Don't go just yet," the blonde vampire purred, looking toward Tugger and Mistoffelees.  "The party hasn't started yet."

Griddlebone glanced toward where the second vampire was advancing and shoved off of the female vampire to send that opponent back as she whirled toward the seventies reject and lashed out with the stake, hoping to find her target.

He went up in a puff of ash, shocked expression lasting barely a moment. Mistoffelees and Tugger gaped at the spot where he had been, now a pile of dust.

Griddlebone whirled to face the remaining vampire who snarled.  The slayer darted a glance toward Tugger and Mistoffelees, "What the hell are you two still doing here, get going!" Still feeling fuzzy in the head, Mistoffelees allowed himself to be hauled up and out by Tugger.

"Seems a long way to drag a little meal," Griddlebone said, turning back to her remaining opponent.

"We like the privacy," the vampire circled around to keep the tomb between herself and the teen.

Griddlebone flipped up on top of the grave, "They would have looked like they were necking in an alley."

"He was young and stupid,” she offered with another shrug, still dancing around the reason for choosing this particular crypt.

"He's been changed for at least twenty years," came the quick response as she lunged, but her stake landed in empty air as the vampire dodged toward the exit.

"Like I said.  Young."  With those words she darted out of the mausoleum and into the darkness, she was not looking forward to recounting this failure.

Bolting after her, Griddlebone paused.  She could either go after the vampire or follow Tugger and Mistoffelees and make certain they got to the school safely.  Considering what had already happened she turned toward the school and hurried after the two boys.

The pair of them had run into another vampire who had been out hunting. Colliding with Mistoffelees, she had sent them both to the ground, going instantly after his throat. With a roar, Tugger tried to drag her off, only to be kicked in the stomach for his trouble. Breath going out of his lungs, he stumbled back and tried again to get the creature off his friend.

Griddlebone caught up to them and swore, darting forward and yanking Tugger back by the shoulder.  She spared half a thought to hope she hadn't done damage to him before pulling the vampire up enough that her follow through wouldn't stab Mistoffelees as she slammed the stake home.  The wood splintered slightly and the vampire turned to dust.  Stashing her stake, Griddlebone held out a hand to the dark-haired teen, "Did she--" She broke off when she saw the two sluggishly bleeding puncture wounds on his neck, "We need to get that treated."

"Okay," Mistoffelees said, laying back for a moment in shock before accepting her hand and being pulled up. "W-what are we going to do?"

“We are going to go to the library and get those wounds treated, okay?" Griddlebone's tone softened and she looked toward where Tugger was.

"The library?" Mistoffelees asked. "Instead of like, the hospital?"

Rubbing his shoulder ruefully, Tugger handed Griddlebone her purse which he had still kept ahold of. "Come on," he said, slinging an arm around Mistoffelees' waist. "Let's get going then."

She took the purse with a murmured thanks as they headed toward the school, "Mr. Coricopat can answer questions better than the doctors can."

"The librarian?" Mistoffelees asked. "He knows about this? Why does he know about this?"

"He, he can explain it better than I can," she answered as they reached the school.  Trying the nearest door she found it unlocked and held it open for the other two before heading down the hall to the library.

Coricopat looked up as the double doors opened, hand instinctively going to the crossbow at his side, but he lowered his hand when he saw the Slayer and the other two, "Oh thank God you're all alright."

"Mostly," Griddelbone responded.  "We need some first aid, if you've got a kit."

He nodded and picked up the crossbow to take it back into his office while he located the first aid kit.

"No, I'm still confused why we're at the library--was he holding a _crossbow_?" Mistoffelees managed, Tugger dropping him into one of the chairs around the heavy wooden table that took up the center of the library floor. He'd been holding his hand against Mistoffelees' neck to try and keep the blood in as much as possible but now the blood covered his hand.

Coricopat emerged again with a first aid kit and a small hand towel.  He passed the towel to Tugger and took a seat in the chair next to Mistoffelees as soon as he saw the marks on his throat, "Did you not get there quickly enough?" He shot a glance at the Slayer.

"It wasn't that one.  That one's dust.  It was a different one out hunting," she responded, perching herself on the table, worry in her eyes as her watcher set to work on bandaging Mistoffelees' throat.

"You have a cross bow," Mistoffelees repeated, tilting his head slightly to give better access to his neck. "That is not a normal librarian tool."

Coricopat's long fingers stilled on the gauze he was holding against Mistoffelees' pulse, "No.  No it is not.  It fires wooden bolts, though, and if one can aim it properly it works well in defense."

"Libraries don't often come under siege," Mistoffelees protested weakly. "What are we defending against?" But the more he thought about it, the more he was starting to wonder if the last librarian mightn't have benefited from a cross bow.

Picking up some medical tape and fastening the gauze in place, Coricopat spoke quietly, "Those things you encountered this evening."

"I'm still waiting for someone to explain that actually," Tugger said, raising a hand and Mistoffelees swallowed hard.

Coricopat looked toward Griddlebone who drew a deep breath.  The girl was the one who finally spoke, "They, well, they're vampires."

"Vampires," Tugger repeated. "Good god, you weren't joking this morning were you?"

Griddlebone shook her head, "Not really."

"So you were literally carrying around stakes because there are vampires?" Tugger repeated, hoping he was on the right track.

"I think I need to be sitting down," Mistoffelees said, a shade woozily.

"You are sitting down," Tugger informed him. "And so am I, yay us." He'd sat on the table next to Mistoffelees, watching Coricopat tend to his friend's neck.

That earned a slight nod from the girl, "Yeah.  Crosses too."

Coricopat's gaze flicked to the necklace she was wearing, but he turned his attention back to Mistoffelees as he placed the last piece of medical tape and sat back, closing the kit and cleaning off his hands.

Hesitating, Mistoffelees reached up to touch the side of his neck before turning wide eyes to Coricopat.

The librarian reached out to touch the teen's hand where it was against the bandage before he thought about it, "I'm here to answer questions you have, but I doubt either of you will want the answers."

"Someone or something literally stuck their _teeth_ into my _neck_ ," he replied, eyes going even wider at the touch and his voice shaking. "After I got all but kidnapped after the club. Answers. Go."

"The world didn't start as a paradise.  Not for humans at least, it was a demon's playground until they were banished," Coricopat responded quietly.  "The last demon to leave this plane fed on a human and mixed their blood, creating the first vampire.  Since then vampires have fed most and turned some, growing their ranks steadily.  That's what you encountered tonight, vampires."

"So, Dracula is real?" Tugger asked, arching a brow and Mistoffelees' hand trembled.

"Was," Coricopat responded, rising and heading to his office to start a pot of tea, returning almost immediately.  "So far as we know he was in fact killed many years ago.  Though there are some that take on his name."

Tugger gaped at him. "You're shitting. You're joking. Is this a British sense of humor thing?"

Coricopat shook his head, "I don't joke about this.  Dracula, the novel, is actually rather an accurate depiction of how to deal with the creatures.  A stake through the heart, sunlight, crosses and other holy relics or objects."

"So a how to guide, cool," Tugger managed and glanced at Mistoffelees. "You read that one right?"

"Yes," he said, automatically.

Griddlebone crossed her legs, looking more like she'd like to pull them up to her chest but remembered that she was wearing a skirt, "And, really, general sense rules--don't go out alone with people you don't know after dark, stay away from dark alleys, and just, well, that mostly.  Use common routes."

"And don't get kidnapped out of clubs," Mistoffelees murmured.

"And that," she replied quietly.  "I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have gone upstairs until Tugger got there."

"No, it," he took a deep breath. "I've sat in that place alone hundreds of times before. I just never expected..."

His electric kettle protesting, Coricopat retreated to brew a pot of tea and emerged with four cups and the pot, "No one does when they first encounter one of them."

"If they survive it," Griddlebone murmured earning a reprimanding look from the librarian.

"Which we did," Tugger said very quickly, eying the tea as if it would attack him as much as the vampire did earlier. "Mostly."

"We're still breathing," Mistoffelees pointed out softly.

Coricopat took note of the look and of Griddlebone's wrinkled nose and poured two cups instead of four, offering one to Mistoffelees, "Yes, you are.  Thankfully."

Mistoffelees accepted the cup automatically, drinking from it before realizing it was still warm and settling his hands around it. He wasn’t used to Sunnydale nights feeling so cold.

Griddlebone looked at Coricopat as the librarian curled his hands around his own cup, "There's more going on here, isn't there?  I mean even more than normal for this town, if what you said earlier is true."

He shook his head, "I don't know.  I haven't had the time to consult my books yet, but I think there's a very real possibility."

"Possibility of what?" Mistoffelees asked, Tugger still watching the tea warily before considering the librarian.

"Most vampires, they," Griddlebone drew a deep breath, "usually they don't take time.  They'll have their prey where they find them, or in an alley or something if it's a public place.  They don't...they don't usually take them back to the graveyards or wherever the hell it is that they're hanging out."

"So what's going on then?" Mistoffelees demanded, voice gaining slight strength.

"I don't know yet," Coricopat admitted.  "Based on tonight, and what Griddlebone told me when we spoke at the Bronze, it would appear we're on the brink of something extremely dangerous and entirely disruptive, but I haven't had the chance to research anything."

"What did you speak of at the Bronze?" Mistoffelees asked quietly.

"That annoyingly gorgeous guy I mentioned to you?"  Griddlebone offered, touching the necklace she was wearing.  "He gave me a rather cryptic warning about possible upcoming dangers."

"Just because he was cryptic doesn't mean you have to be cryptic," Mistoffelees answered. "I know it's the trope for these sorts of stories but I really am currently feeling like there is way too much cryptic going on around my head."

She and Coricopat exchanged a look before she spoke again, "He mentioned a mouth of hell and the fact that something wanted to crawl out of it and would eat me alive if it did."

"That," Mistoffelees, if possible, became more pale. "So, does anyone else recognize the term mouth of hell then? Or, oh, oh, wait! The... the vampire that grabbed me said something about getting food for the Master."

"The Master?"  Coricopat blinked at that, "Well, that broadens the search terms.  Likely an older vampire, but the question is why he couldn't go hunting himself." He set his tea down and retreated to the book cage, skimming over the books there, and digging through the remaining crate before emerging with a few volumes, one in English, two in French, and a Latin one as well.

Mistoffelees blinked at the books. "Well, I knew you brought your own," he managed in some surprise. Tugger looked from Mistoffelees to the books and librarian to Griddlebone and back to Mistoffelees.

"You know, I'm so out of my depth I've think I've gone into an abyss."

Griddlebone darted a look at Tugger, "Don't joke about those."

"What?" he blinked. "It's a rather nice abyss at the moment."

Mistoffelees automatically reached out, putting a hand on Tugger's leg to give comfort in the only way he really understood.

Coricopat opened one of the French texts, glancing at Tugger and skimming as he spoke, "Is there anything we can do to help you out of that abyss?"

"I have no idea, anything you have to offer?" Tugger asked as Mistoffelees hesitated before leaning across the table and sliding the only English book back toward himself.

"I can teach you some self-defense against the vampires. And I have some spare stakes, too," Griddlebone offered.

"Self defense implies a pretty passive role of them coming and attacking you," Tugger pointed out.

"Considering the amount of students and teachers who are killed yearly, it's too bad we couldn't make those school wide," Mistoffelees said, already flipping through the book.

"Is passive bad?" Griddlebone asked.  "What are you planning to do?  Go hunting their nests?"

"Griddlebone," Coricopat spoke softly, reprimanding.

"No, I'm serious," the girl responded.

"They have nests?" Tugger asked and paused. "Good to know. But sure, why the hell not? After all, that's what you seemed pretty set to do, what the hell makes you the special vampire killing snowflake?"

Coricopat looked at the stack of books he'd brought out and blinked, startling very slightly when he saw the missing one in Mistoffelees' hands, "Are you sure you're up to reading that all things considered?" Mistoffelees' shoulders obviously tensed but he continued leafing through the book as if he hadn't heard.

Griddlebone glanced at Tugger, "Because it's who I am."

"And who's that?" Tugger demanded.

The girl shook her head, looking at Coricopat, "I'm going to let you field these questions."

"And break every rule set down before us for eons, thank you for that," he murmured, setting his book aside.

"Actually for that matter I'd like to know why you two are in such cahoots," Tugger added.

"You did arrive on the same day," Mistoffelees pointed out, showing he was clearly listening but still not looking up.

"That was so completely not intentional," Griddlebone responded.

At the same moment, Coricopat replied with, "I knew she was due in Sunnydale sometime in the next couple of weeks."

That got Mistoffelees to look up and both the teenage boys considered them for a moment. "You know, that's getting creepy," Tugger told Coricopat. "I'd really like there to be an explanation for this."

"Trust me, they're all like that," Griddlebone muttered, looking away and to the side of the large table where several low bookcases encircled the room.

Coricopat gave her a long look before sighing, "Anything further that's said here does not leave this room, understood?  We're already breaking several rules simply by thinking to tell you."

Mistoffelees blinked once at him, folding his hands over the open book in front of him and arching his brows up, as if he was entirely unimpressed by the idea of breaking rules.

"I'm just wondering if you can talk yourself into a circle anymore?" Tugger asked. "Because you're building it up to be all dramatic and big and stuff and it's getting kinda silly." Mistoffelees glanced sideways at Tugger, almost asking him not to provoke anyone but remaining silent.

The Englishman ran a hand through his brown hair and drew a steadying breath, "Griddlebone is what's known as a vampire slayer.  One girl in all the world who, a chosen one, with the strength and skill to fight whatever the darkness chooses to throw at us.  She has the senses, strength, agility, and speed to withstand them, to match them in a fight."

Mistoffelees paused, considering the girl for a moment before nodded and Tugger let out a huff of breath. "So... extra strength then? That why you're insisting we not get involved?"

"I'm insisting you not get involved so you don't get yourselves killed," Griddlebone replied almost sharply.

Tugger scowled. "Whereas sitting at home is going to keep us so much safer."

"Sitting at home might," Mistoffelees said. "It's doing everything else that wouldn't. But..." he paused, almost looking like he wasn't going to continue when he looked down at the book. "But okay, so vampires are real and so are other things and this town has always been... really crazy, by the way so that's actually not so huge of a surprise as it could've been. But you're telling us these things are real and then acting like we should stick our heads back underneath the sand and pretend we haven't heard or seen a single thing."

"No," Griddlebone shook her head.  "I'm telling you not to go hunting them.  Something tells me neither of you are going to be exercising much selective memory like normal people would."

"It's difficult," Mistoffelees said faintly. "Besides, you laid it out pretty brutally and god knows I've been wondering what is wrong with this town." He glanced at where Tugger was still fuming. "And he's too angry to forget. So what are we supposed to do?"

"You truly wish to involve yourselves?"  Coricopat asked, warily.

"Again, I'm going to ask what our other options possibly could be," Mistoffelees said. "We live in Sunnydale, I think we're involved."

Griddlebone looked at him, "I think he meant more actively."

"Again," Mistoffelees said, tone starting to become acid. "That's what I _meant_. What the fuck are we supposed to do? Act like nothing's happened and go about life as if we're totally fine and the night isn't after our blood? We live in a town where--have you looked at the numbers of dead? Because they're pretty much on par with LA or a town with massive gang problems that we've never had. So what the _hell_ are you expecting we're going to do? Sit back and not be active? Sit back and watch the people around us drop like flies until we get killed? How could you expect us to take anything _except_ an active role?" he asked and barely managed not to add 'you bastards' to the end of that.

Coricopat and Griddlebone exchanged a long look t that and something in Coricopat coiled and tensed at the tone, but he suppressed it and relaxed, "Then help me.  Griddlebone can't fight what she doesn't know, and it appears that you've heard more to help us than either of us have any idea of.  We need something on this 'Master' and we need to look further back in this town's history than I've been able to, see if there's any other reference to this 'mouth of hell'."

Ducking his head back down, Mistoffelees' mouth twisted but he nodded slightly.

"Okay," Tugger said slowly, having sat back slightly during the tirade and waiting for Mistoffelees to start breathing again. "And I'm not saying I'm the type to just follow whatever Misto's doing--though I totally can be--but I'm just really wondering what I'm supposed to be doing then?"

"I have several volumes--" Coricopat started, but his slayer cut him off.

"Books?  Really?"  She looked at Tugger, "You can help me go over maps of the town, both above and below ground.  I need to be able to know what this place is like so that I don't get disoriented like I did this evening."

"Yeah there was a reason I was asking what I could do separately," Tugger said, giving the librarian a long look, fairly certain that something bothered him. "There's some maps in the back of the library I think," he said, turning back to Griddlebone. "Some older than others but they have pictures, I can do pictures." He'd spent enough time with Mistoffelees to at least know where things were placed in the library.

"Cool, let's go find those then and see what we can do there," Griddlbone hopped off of the table.

Tugger nodded, trailing to the back of the library and leaving Mistoffelees and Coricopat at the table. Coricopat settled back into one of the chairs, only half paying attention to the book before him, his gaze occasionally moving to Mistoffelees.

"What is it?" he asked after a moment, fumbling back for the tea cup.

"I suppose I'm just slightly surprised.  Most people would prefer to go home and pretend none of this happened."

Mistoffelees almost slammed the cup back against the table, still angry. "So what about you then? What gives you and her the right to hold the monopoly on all this information or on this fight? Because you didn't turn around and close the door and draw the blinds down either."

"We don't have the option," he answered softly.  "As I said, Griddlebone was called.  And I have been chosen and trained as her watcher, her trainer.  I've known this is where I was going to be since I was ten years old."

"So you might not understand what it's like to be completely helpless," Mistoffelees said faintly. "So I'm going to reiterate this one more time and hope you understand. Do you know how many people have died? Do you know how many friends have disappeared one day with no one willing to talk about them again or what might have happened? I was pretty close with the last librarian you know. And suddenly he's gone and you're here." He didn't add that no one had ever explained what happened to his parents, some vague hand waving about a car accident that had never added up to his jumbled and blurry memories. "And despite all that you act like you expect me to just turn around and stick my head in the sand and hide but how _could I_ when there might be the _chance_ I could see less people dying?"

The watcher weighed those words carefully, before he spoke, "You're a far better person than many I've met.  There are many who would do just exactly what you said and stick their head in the sand."  He drew a deep breath, "I give you fair warning, though, that we may well not see a decrease in deaths.  That is always the hope, that we will, but there's only so much that can be done against the things that go bump in the night."

"I'd still rather go to the next funeral knowing I tried," he said softly. "I might not be that good of a person, I may be intensely selfish but I am sick of being helpless, of not knowing."

Coricopat paused, mind flickering back over the years as he nodded, "We're more than grateful for your help."

"We," he repeated softly. "Well, whatever I can do. There's not much in this book, by the way," he said, holding it up. "I mean, great for European craziness but not much on our brand of it."

Considering that, he nodded slightly, "No, I was hopeful it might have information on the Master, but let's see what else I have."

"How many languages do you read?" Mistoffelees asked him, following him to the book cage.

"Current, dead, or demonic?" came the question as Coricopat perused the volumes, drawing about a half-dozen English ones off the shelf.

"All?" Mistoffelees offered, leaning against the book cage before accepting the books.

“Mostly western languages for the modern languages, I think four or five dead--no closer to six or seven perhaps if I've been keeping up on them.  As to demonic languages, just a handful I think," he pulled out another Latin text before heading back to the table.

"So, training since you were ten," Mistoffelees asked faintly, returning to his table with the books.

"Mostly, yes.  Father had me reading Latin, French, and German by then, but I only started on most of the others after that.  Destined to be a watcher and all that," he murmured, managing not to sound bitter about it.

"I'm sorry," Mistoffelees said faintly.

"Don't be," came the quiet response.  "My father was one, and his mother before him.  It's almost a requirement that watchers be descended from other watchers."

"Well, it still sucks whenever someone says you have a destiny," Mistoffelees murmured and paused. "It's hereditary? Isn't that sorta complete--Oh. I suppose you're all British and that's still sorta a British thing."

Coricopat's lips quirked at that, "It rather is a British thing.  And why shouldn't the watchers be directed into their destiny when the Slayer has no choice whatsoever?  At least as a watcher there's some slim chance you'll never see the field."

"But you've seen the field," Mistoffelees said and shook his head. "Do they train you to expect that?"

"Somewhat," he replied.  "Some you have to learn on your own.  There are of course controlled circumstances, but you have to truly be out of those in a life and death moment to know what you'll do."

Rubbing the side of his head, Mistoffelees nodded, leafing through a book as Tugger and Griddlebone returned with several maps. "Look, this shows off the town pretty well, but it's got nothing on the access tunnels," Tugger was saying. "Of which we have many."

"Well, that's gonna be the map I most need.  This is good for giving me topside, though."  She glanced at Coricopat, "Thoughts on the access tunnels?"

"We could go to the building commission."

"That would take way too long," Tugger said, shaking his head. "Do you know how much red tape there is in that place?"

"You can get them online," Mistoffelees said, flipping through the book.

Coricopat blinked at that, "The city plans are just, online?"

"Well," Mistoffelees said and realized what he'd just walked himself into and blushed. "Not so much?"

"You totally hacked them didn't you?" Tugger said, tone fond as he glanced over.

"Less, well, their security sucks anyway," Mistoffelees said. "And I was really bored and they were just sorta there and--yeah."

The librarian’s brows rose, "Well, I have a computer over on the main desk you're welcome to work with."

"You know, you should really stop hacking the government just because you're bored," Tugger said as Mistoffelees relocated with several books to the desk. Even as Tugger said it, his tone was fond if a little exasperated.

"He does that much?"  Coricopat asked, some concern leaking into his voice as Griddlebone followed Mistoffelees.

"Um, yes and no," Tugger hedged.

"Right, probably best I not know the answer to that," the older man decided, moving to look over Mistoffelees' shoulder.

"Just a--here it is," Mistoffelees said, snapping the plans up and considering the tunnels. "You know, one of these runs right under that graveyard, near that crypt. How much you wanna bet wherever this Master guy is it's down here?"

"That seems probable," Griddlebone agreed, considering the plans.  "But there's no access in the graveyard, so why the hell would they take you there?"

"Because there's probably access in the crypt," Tugger said. "I mean, they're vampires right? Makes sense they want to go underground in a creepy ass place."

"Either the plans are incomplete--because who would survey a graveyard for this anyway--or they've created their own access points," Mistoffelees posited. "I mean, it wouldn't be so crazy, would it?"

"Maybe not."  Griddlebone bit her lip, considering, "I should go back and check it out."

Coricopat shook his head, "Not tonight.  It's late, and you'll do better come morning when they're underground and not expecting anyone.  In fact, all of you should be getting home--you have class tomorrow."

Mistoffelees looked like he really wanted to protest that. "Are you going home to sleep?" he asked.

"I was planning to.  My car's not very big, but I can give the three of you rides.  We'll reconvene in the morning," the librarian responded.

"It--it's fine," Mistoffelees tried to protest.

"Rides would be good," Tugger said, giving Mistoffelees a long look.

"Let's get these books locked up again and we'll get you lot home," Coricopat replied with a bit of a nod, crossing over to gather up most of the books to return them to the book cage.

Mistoffelees helped, gathering up some of them but pausing over three. "I could take these home," he said, "Look them over."

The librarian hesitated at that, "Are you sure?  I'd rather no one else stumble across them."

"That should not be a problem," Mistoffelees said and Tugger tried not to wince or nod his agreement.

Pausing, Coricopat looked toward the teen and studied him for a long moment.  He finally nodded and chose not to pry, "In that case, if you would like to you may take them."

"Thank you," Mistoffelees said, cradling them to his chest as Tugger looked over and laughed.

"At least you finally have a new genre to read."

Griddlebone couldn't help but smile a bit at that as Coricopat nodded again and led them out of the library, shutting off lights as they went.

o-o-o

The female vampire from the crypt stole through the dark tunnels underground until she came to a large chamber, lit by hundreds of candles in multi-armed candelabras.  On closer inspection the chamber was in fact the ruin of an old church and she picked her way carefully around the religious relics that still hadn't been fully disposed of, looking for the her sire.

The vampire in question lounged on an old chair, intricately carved and listening to Lucas as his fanatical follower spoke of blood and destruction and a Master finally free to rise again.

Darla approached quietly, dropping her gaze away and wishing she wasn't the bearer of bad news, "Master."

"Darla," he crooned, turning his head that way and even Lucas stopped talking to glance over at her. Seeing that she was alone, and certainly not carrying food, the Master frowned. "And what is this then?"

"Thomas was nearly back with the meal, but we were interrupted before we could get the boy into the tunnels," she crossed her hands behind her back, "The girl who came is strong, she killed Thomas and stole the offering."

His brows shot up as he considered her. "You mean to say you brought nothing back?" he asked, and Lucas snorted, clearly having his own thoughts about Darla's loyalties. "That's most disappointing."

"Master, forgive me," she pleaded softly.  "This girl, it's been many a year since I've last encountered one, but she fought well and she knew of us.  It's possible that she is a slayer.  She fought hard and was unnaturally strong for a mortal."

That got the Master's attention and he rose from his chair, approaching her. "Are you sure? Of course you're not sure, you're simply surmising. But a Slayer, here?"

"The day before the Harvest no less?" Lucas said. "That is an ill omen."

The Master waved his hand at his strongest, though perhaps also his most fanatically stupid minion, and shook his head. "Have you heard the rumor that Macavity is back in town, Darla?"

She looked up, meeting her sire's eyes, "I had heard that.  I've also heard he's living above ground and trying to be one of _them_."

"Well of course he is," the Master waved a hand again. "He's been trying that for quite some time, but he seems to have a sense of renewed purpose and that is what concerns me. Because for his flaws, if he has joined sides with a new slayer in town--"

"It does not matter," Lucas said. "The Harvest is coming."

"And then I will be free," the Master agreed, stepping past Darla and the thin stream that went through his lair, running a hand through air and feeling the invisible barrier that kept him underground. "It has been far too long since I've hunted myself." He turned back to Darla and Lucas. "Neither the slayer nor Macavity can stop us. Make sure to that, would you?"

Darla nodded once, "I will keep an eye on Macavity, and do my best to watch the girl as well.  It will be good to have you in the hunting grounds again, Master."

"I've been trapped in this... _church_ , for far too long," he sneered, looking around the cavern again before shaking his head. "And this time, when I'm free, I'll finally get the Hellmouth open."

Darla's lips turned upward at that, making her look even more like a china doll as she had for all the centuries since she'd been turned, "And that will be a night to remember for eternity."


End file.
